
Jed Mercurio
Learn everything you need to know about writing for television from the creator of some of the world’s biggest TV dramas.
Course Overview
Writing Drama For Television
A complete course taught by Jed Mercurio, acclaimed screenwriter of Line of Duty and Bodyguard. Designed to take you from first draft and set you on the path to final script.
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One off course purchase, no ongoing commitment
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Rewatch as often as you like
Jed Mercurio is one of TV’s greatest and most prolific talents. Considered one of Britain’s most successful television writers, his shows are some of the most popular, regularly breaking viewing figure records. He’s written stories that cover everything from police anti-corruption, close protection and overworked junior doctors. His credits include Line of Duty, Bodyguard, Bodies, The Grimleys and Cardiac Arrest. He’s been nominated for, and won, multiple television and writing awards, including being nominated for both Emmy and Golden Globe awards for Bodyguard. When he’s not writing hugely-successful TV drama, he likes to relax by producing and directing his shows.
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Lesson 1
Writers Are Made, Not Born
Begin your journey into television writing and discover your value as a new writer.
15 mins -
Lesson 2
Inspiration
Where do you find ideas for your own television series? Jed will show you.
6 mins -
Lesson 3
Developing Ideas
How to take your inspiration and turn it into a premise for a TV series.
16 mins -
Lesson 4
What Kind Of Show Are You Making?
Learn about the different types of series, and what every long-running TV show must have.
13 mins -
Lesson 5
The Setting
How to create successful settings and invigorate well-trodden paths.
9 mins -
Lesson 6
Relationship Between Character And Setting
How characters affect the world you’ve built. Recognising, using and twisting TV tropes.
15 mins -
Lesson 7
Starting The Pilot
Discover different ways to bring the audience into your world.
13 mins -
Lesson 8
The Content Of The Pilot
How to pitch, plan and create an incredible outline for your own television pilot.
24 mins -
Lesson 9
Story Architecture
Using structure and ambition to develop a more dynamic television series.
17 mins -
Lesson 10
Inciting Incidents
Conceiving events that have a profound effect on your characters and story.
15 mins -
Lesson 11
Science Of A Story
Critical mass and chain reaction - how to construct explosive moments and the natural story that follows.
19 mins -
Lesson 12
Set-Ups And Natural Story
Creating impact, raising the stakes, and leaving your audience wanting more.
15 mins -
Lesson 13
Story Events
How to stop backstory and flashbacks damaging your story.
13 mins -
Lesson 14
Plots And Subplots
Creating and connecting evocative story strands.
10 mins -
Lesson 15
Episodes
Exciting and diverse episodes, shocking your audience, and avoiding the mid-season dip.
23 mins -
Lesson 16
Projecting Forward - The Series Bible Part 1
What is a series bible? What fundamental questions should it answer?
15 mins -
Lesson 17
Projecting Forward - The Series Bible Part 2
Shaping key moments in your series and showcasing your characters.
12 mins -
Lesson 18
Coefficients Of Narrative Power 1
Mystery - how to keep viewers guessing and invested.
10 mins -
Lesson 19
Coefficients Of Narrative Power 2
Jeopardy - keeping your audience on the edge of their seats.
10 mins -
Lesson 20
Coefficients Of Narrative Power 3
Forward Momentum - powerful ways to keep your story moving.
12 mins -
Lesson 21
Dialogue
Why Jed believes, against popular opinion, that dialogue is the least important element in your script.
23 mins -
Lesson 22
Attenuators Of Narrative Power 1
Confusion - avoiding incoherence and the loss of your audience.
13 mins -
Lesson 23
Attenuators Of Narrative Power 2
Implausibility - coincidence, Deus ex Machina, and making events unpredictable yet plausible.
14 mins -
Lesson 24
Attenuators Of Narrative Power 3
Boredom - how to stop your…yawn… audience from getting bored.
7 mins -
Lesson 25
Mastering your craft
The qualities you need to be a successful television writer.
13 mins -
Lesson 26
Fallacies
In television there are three main fallacies. Here’s how to prove them wrong.
17 mins -
Lesson 27
Rewriting And Collaboration
Jed demystifies the challenges professional writers face during production.
9 mins -
Lesson 28
Career Development
Simple ways to break into the television industry.
11 mins
There have never been more opportunities for writers in television than there are now.
You’ve got the inspiration, now put it in to practice. Downloadable and printable PDF course notes, including summaries, further inspiration and more content and insight from Jed himself.
Course Notes
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Writing Drama For Television
Supporting material
Course Notes113 pages